Closing the Loop: Technion COVID-19 Efforts Across Campus

Technion Webinar

With Professors Josué Sznitman and Moran Bercovici

Technion scientists played a key role in the fight against COVID-19, developing everything from diagnostic testing and protective gear to innovative therapeutics.

In this informative webinar, Technion Professor Moran Bercovici discusses how his microfluidics research could lead to point-of-care testing to detect the coronavirus. Prof. Bercovici and his team have developed methods for direct detection of biomarkers, without requiring time-consuming sample cleanup and amplification. They applied these methods to detect the coronavirus, with the aim of creating a test that could be completed, from sample to answer, in minutes.

For patients already diagnosed with COVID-19, Technion Professor Josué Sznitman and his team were developing an innovative technology that could dramatically improve the efficacy of existing drugs for treating Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), the leading cause of death in COVID-19 patients. Their Liquid Foam Therapy (LIFT) aims to improve the distribution of surfactants, liquids that coat the surface of the lungs’ air sacs and reduce the energy required for breathing. It’s been shown that COVID-19 depletes the secretion of surfactants, a condition which Prof. Sznitman’s team believes is particularly severe in ARDS.